NEW MATERIALS TO STORE HYDROGEN EFFICIENTLY AND ECONOMICALLY

Jose Mendoza-Cortes, a researcher from the Florida State University has designed new materials to store fuel hydrogen more efficiently and economically in vehicles and other devices which utilize clean energy. He is an assistant professor in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. He wanted to figure out the most effective way to store hydrogen so that future car-makers can make use of it.

In his endeavor, he designed porous materials of transition metals by using complicated computer simulations and mathematical equations. These abundantly available materials can be next fixed in the tank of a hydrogen fuel car. He chose compounds with iron, nickel or cobalt since these bonds with hydrogen. The idea is that, since hydrogen will bind to the tank, more of it can be densely packed and condensed into it. Further, a lower amount of energy is required to fill the tank.

He designed 270 such compounds and tested their hydrogen storage performance. It was found that the new materials could create a far more efficient and economic system. He has published an article in the Journal of American Chemical Society describing the solution and designs for producing these new materials. 

Content Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161201163604.htm

Image: https://techportal.eere.energy.gov/category/hydrogen_and_fuel_cell